Connecticut DOT says seatbelt usage climbing

Officer Jon Haddad stops a motorist at a checkpoint during the “Click It or Ticket” Seat Belt Enforcement campaign.

Officer Jon Haddad stops a motorist at a checkpoint during the “Click It or Ticket” Seat Belt Enforcement campaign.

Photo: Catherine Avalone — The Middletown Press/File

Photo: Catherine Avalone — The Middletown Press/File

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Officer Jon Haddad stops a motorist at a checkpoint during the “Click It or Ticket” Seat Belt Enforcement campaign.

Officer Jon Haddad stops a motorist at a checkpoint during the “Click It or Ticket” Seat Belt Enforcement campaign.

Photo: Catherine Avalone — The Middletown Press/File

Connecticut DOT says seatbelt usage climbing

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HARTFORD >> The Connecticut Department of Transportation says the vast majority of the state drivers are using their seatbelts.

According to the agency’s highway safety office, Connecticut’s seatbelt usage in 2016 has increased to 89.4 percent. That’s up from 85.4 percent in 2015.

DOT Commissioner James Redeker says his agency has been working closely with law enforcement and others to “move the needle,” calling this increase “significant.”

While Connecticut was a top state for seatbelt usage for many years, he says it recently experienced a five-year decline.

Redeker credits the “Click It or Ticket” enforcement campaign with helping to increase public awareness about state’s mandatory seatbelt law, the penalties, and the dangers of not buckling up while driving.